A new lawsuit has been filed against Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano and the Baylor Health Care System by a patient alleging she was injured and left immobile while under the care of a neurosurgeon who has been accused of crippling patients and allegedly practicing under the influence of drugs.

The claims against Baylor Plano pertain to the hospital’s nine-month affiliation starting in July 2011 with Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgeon whose medical license was revoked in December. The lawsuit is the latest in a series of allegations naming Duntsch.

The lawsuit, filed Feb. 13 on behalf of patient Mary Efurd, claims that Baylor lured Duntsch from Tennessee with a $600,000 advance on his salary and $109,000 for relocation and other expenses. Duntsch was suspected of using cocaine and was sent to an impaired physician program during his medical residency in Tennessee, Efurd’s suit says.

Baylor Plano and Baylor Health Care System did not immediately respond to the latest lawsuit. the system has issued a statement denying the “material allegations” in a previous, similar suit filed by another patient.

“The quality of the patient care we provide is of paramount importance to us, and we take all patient care-related claims very seriously,” Baylor’s statement said.

Duntsch's lawyer and Kay Van Wey, the Dallas attorney who filed the case on Efurd's behalf, were not immediately available for comment.

Soon after he moved to Dallas, doctors who worked with Duntsch suspected that something was wrong with him. One doctor “told Baylor Plano that Duntsch was an egomaniac, mentally ill, an alcoholic, drug addict or a combination thereof,” but the hospital initially did nothing, according to the lawsuit.

Among the allegations: Duntsch took off to Las Vegas without making plans for anyone to care for a patient in Baylor Plano; he abused alcohol, illicit and prescription drugs; he dodged drug tests; and he conducted unnecessary surgeries on patients, including Efurd.

“His pattern was to do cocaine for two to four days at a time,” the lawsuit says. “He would work and do cocaine. Following two to four days of cocaine use, he would “crash” for a day or two.

“Efforts to contact him during periods of time when he would “crash” were not fruitful," the suit continues. "Nevertheless, Baylor Plano did not drug test Dr. Duntsch, did not investigate his unusual behavior, and did not heed the warnings it had received about Dr. Duntsch.”

The suit also calls Duntsch an alcoholic.

“He would drink vodka beginning in the morning. He would start by mixing it with juices but would convert to clear mixes throughout the day," the suit says. "In addition, he illegally obtained prescription drugs, such as Lortab, Xanax, and Oxycontin, for his own use. He was known to use alcohol while working as a neurosurgeon. Moreover, alcohol, drugs, and drug paraphernalia were found in his office at Baylor Plano.”

One surgery resulted in one of Duntsch’s lifelong friends being rendered a permanent quadriplegic, according to the lawsuit. That patient reported to the ICU nursing staff that he had witnessed Duntsch using drugs the night before the surgery and that this was a common occurrence for Duntsch, the suit says.

Only when another surgery resulted in the patient’s death from massive blood loss did Baylor Plano ask for Duntsch’s resignation, the suit says. Duntsch hired a lawyer who negotiated a letter of reference from Baylor Plano.

He used a letter from Baylor Plano stating “there were no adverse concerns, adverse events or adverse issues associated with Duntsch” to be hired by Dallas Medical Center, which was formerly known as R.H. Dedman Hospital in Dallas, the lawsuit says.

“As a result, Dr. Duntsch either killed or seriously maimed multiple patients who were not privy to the problems Duntsch had while affiliated with Baylor Plano,” the lawsuit says.

On July 25, 2012, Duntsch operated on Mary Efurd at Dallas Medical Center, attempting a posterior lumbar interbody fusion — a procedure that involves the insertion of a bone graft into the space between discs to help vertebrae fuse.

“Ms. Efurd awoke with bilateral foot drop and complete absence of function of the left side quadriceps. She was unable to bear weight on the left leg post-operatively secondary to weakness,” the lawsuit says.

Duntsch’s hospital privileges at Dallas Medical Center were revoked effective immediately on July 27, 2012. A doctor who took over Efurd’s care found more than a dozen errors, the lawsuit says.

Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano is one of three organizations nationwide to receive the prestigious Baldrige award in 2013, announced in November.

The director of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program told the Dallas Business Journal on Feb. 12 that the program continues to evaluate what to do after allegations pertaining to Duntsch. Another lawsuit filed Jan. 27 and brought by Kenneth Fennell of Denton County contains similar allegations as Efurd’s suit.

The Texas Medical Board in its revocation action characterized Duntsch as a public health threat. Duntsch violated standards of care in treating six patients, including two who died, the board ruled. The board cited him for diagnostic mistakes, failures to address complications and other errors.